Reel case with preassembled handle



Oct. 29, 1968 MATHUS 3,407,923

REEL CASE WITH PREASSEMBLED HANDLE Filed July 6, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. GREGORY MATHUS ATTORNEYS Oct. 29, 1968 TH s 3,407,923

REEL CASE WITH PREASSEMBLED HANDLE Filed July 6. 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fl G. 6

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INVENTOR. GREGORY MATHUS ATTORNEYS Oct. 29, 1968 G. MATHUS 3,407,923

REEL CASE WITH PREASSEMBLED HANDLE Filed July 6. 1966 s Sheets-Sheet 5 /4 463 62 as 5' /\\|\\)A v SD11) 6*6 Fulfil 5 8 I j I 76 '72 i 76 INVENTIOR. FIG. 8 GREGORY MATHUS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,407,923 REEL CASE WITH PREASSEMBLED HANDLE Gregory Mathus, West Hartford, 'Conn., assignor to Data Packaging Corp., Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed July 6, 1966, Ser. No. 563,211 7 Claims. (Cl. 20652) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Reel cases are provided with an improved lock and handle assembly having a cam member with a transverse opening through which a keeper can be positioned and locked in place. Turning of the handle actuates radial expansion of a grommet due to sliding of the keeper on the cam surface.

Tape reel cases of the type shown in US. Patents Nos. 3,074,546 and 3,138,250 have gained universal acceptance and have become the standard for the industry in providing dust free closures for magnetic tape reels. The case manufacturer sells cases of the type shown in those patents to a number of different tape manufacturers, and basically the cases sold to the different tape manufacturers differ only in the indicia and ornamentation that appear on the case handles. Once the handle and lock of those cases are assembled on the main body of the cover, they are permanently fixed to it and cannot be disassembled without either damaging or destroying at least some of the parts.

The locks and handles of those cases include an expansible grommet carried by a keeper on the lower face of the cover and a handle rotatably mounted on the top of the cover. A cam member mounted either in the keeper or the handle cooperates with a cam follower carried on a stud secured to the other of those two parts, and the grommet is expanded on the lower surface of the cover by rotation of the handle. Expansion of the grommet by compressing it against the lower surface of the cover causes it to interlock with an opening provided in the base of the case when the cover and base are in assembled relationship.

The assembling of the lock and handle on the case requires special jigs and is a relatively slow manual operation. For example, to assemble the case shown in Patent No. 3,074,546, the cam and keeper with the grommet are supported in a jig beneath the cover with the stud extending upwardly through an opening in the cover. The handle is placed on the upper surface of the cover and a cam is placed within the handle. The grommet is then loaded to reduce its axial height and a cam follower in the form of a pin is inserted above the cam surface through theopening in the stud. Thereafter a top plate is cemented or otherwise secured on the handle to enclose the cam and follower. Once this assembly is completely, the handle and/or locking device cannot be removed without mutilating the handle, ordinarily to a degree beyond repair. 7

The handle normally is preprinted with the name of the tape manufacturer orxother ornamentation specified by it, and therefore the case cannot be altered to make it fill the specifications of another tape manufacturer. The manufacturer of the case does not have the flexibility of transferring that particular case once assembled to inventory destined for another customer. Therefore, the case manufacturer must have separate inventories for each ofhis customers if he is to be able to make immediate shipments to his customers.

One important object of this invention is to provide a locking device and handle assembly which may very quickly and conveniently be assembled on and disassembled from the cover of the reel case.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a handle which may be preassembled independently of the cover and which by a single simple manipulation may be secured to the locking mechanism, also separately preassembled, on the cover.

By accomplishing the objects stated, manufacturing costs are reduced directly by providing a case which may be assembled more easily than those heretofor available, and manufacturing costs are further reduced indirectly by reducing the inventory requirements imposed upon the manufacturer.

To accomplish these and other objects, the case of this invention includes a cover and a base with a grommet against the lower surface of the cover and a handle assembly mounted on the top surface thereof. A keeper is mounted on the lower surface of the cover and supports the grommet against the lower surface. The grommet and keeper form a lock assembly. A cam is provided within either the keeper or the handle with the cam face directed away from the other of those members. A transverse slot is provided in the cam and is accessible through the member in which the cam is mounted. A stud secured to the other of the members carries a transverse pin which is somewhat shorter in length than the slot. The pin serves as a cam follower and lies on the cam face. Stops are provided on the cam face which pre-' vent the pin from sliding off the face and into the transverse slot. The handle assembly and the lock assembly are separately preassembled, and the handle is placed on the cover upper surface while the lock is placed on the lower surface with the stud and pin extending through the slot provided in the cam. The grommet is then compressed which allows the pin to clear the stops and seat on the cam surface when the handle and lock are turned relative to one another.

These and other objects and features of this invention along with its incident advantages will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reel case constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the handle mem ber forming part of the case shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line 3-3 in FIG. 2 with the cam omitted;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view suggesting the manner in which the handle elements are assembled;

FIG. 5 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the cam forming part of the assembly shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the handle and locking device mounted on the cover of the case;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view showing the relationship of the cover, locking device and handle before assembly;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6 and showing the manner in which the locking device and handle are secured together on the cover and specifically illustrates the relative positions of the parts just prior to their achieving the fully assembled position shown in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the cover and base locked together.

The case shown in FIG. 1 includes a base 10 and cover 12 that together define a dustproof closure for a reel. The cover carries a rotatable handle 14 and a lock 16 which are shown fully assembled and mounted on the cover 12 in FIG. 6.

The cover 12 is provided at its center with a well 18 composed of a cylindrical side wall 20 and a bottom wall 22. The handle 14 is positioned in the well 18 on the upper surface of the cover 12 while the lock 16 is supported on the lower surface 24 of the bottom wall 22 of the cover well.

The handle 14 includes a bottom disc 26, a top plate 28 and a cam 30 which are shown in exploded form in FIG. 4. The disc 26 is rotatably supported on the upper surface of the lower wall 22 of the well 18, and is provided with an upturned rim 32. A generally rectangular central opening 34 is provided in the center of the disc 26, which receives the rectangular base 36 of the cam 30 and holds the cam 30 against rotation relative to the disc with the barrel-shaped body of the cam on the top surface of the disc 26. A number of pads 38 are shown in FIG. 4 which are positioned to bear against the body 40 of the cam to give the cam further support.

The cam 30 shown in greatly enlarged form in FIG. 5, includes an upwardly directed annular cam face 42 composed of two parts 44 and 46. The two parts 44 and 46 are separated by a transverse slot 48 which extends completely through the cam 30 including its rectangular base 36 and cylindrical body 40. Diametrically opposed to one another are a first pair of stops 50 which lie on opposite sides of opposite ends of the slot 48, and the stops 50 each mark one end of the cam face parts 44 and 46. A second pair of stops 52 disposed diametrically opposite one another and located on opposite sides of opposite ends of the slot 48 mark the other ends of the cam face parts. The stops 50 and 52 prevent the ends of a cam follower in the form of a transverse pin riding on the cam surface from aligning themselves with the slot 48 when they are turned about the annular face.

It will be noted that the sides of the stops 52 adjacent the slot 48 are beveled somewhat as shown at 54. These bevels enable a cam follower to be inserted upwardly through the slot 48 and climb over the stops 52 to reach the two cam faces. More is said about this below.

The top plate 28 which completes the three element assembly of the handle 14 includes a downwardly extending skirt 56, a top flange 58 and a gripper bar 60 composed of a cap 62 and a pair of side plates 64. While the side plates 64 of the gripper bar 60 are shown to diverge from one another in the direction of the center of the handle, it is to be understood that this is an ornamental feature and does not form part of this invention.

The top plate 28 is aligned with the disc 26 by means of the two sets of tabs 68 extending upwardly from the disc 26 which tabs are disposed so as to bear against the inner surfaces of the side plates 64 of the gripper bar 60.

To assemble the handle, the cam 30 is dropped in place with its base 36 disposed in the slot 34 in the disc 26 of th handle, and thereafter the top plate 28 is secured to the disc 26 either by cement, ultrasonic welding, or some similar means. In the specific configuration shown, the disc and top plate may be secured together at their peripheral skirts. However, it will be understood that the skirt 32 of the disc 26 may be eliminated, and the downwardly extending skirt 56 of the top plate may be secured directly to the circular bottom of disc 26. The cam 30 is held in place by the engagement of the pads 38 with the cylindrical body 40, and the ends of the cylindrical body are held firmly between the upper surface of the disc 26 of the bottom member and the lower surface of the cap 62 of the gripper bar.

The locking device 16 mounted on the lower surface of the cover 12 includes a keeper 70 having a cylindrical central portion 72 and an outwardly extending bottom flange 74. The keeper supports a grommet 76 against the lower surface of boss 78 formed as an integral part of the lower wall 22 of the well 18 in the cover 12. A stud 80 has its lower end embedded in the keeper 70' and as viewed in FIG. 6, the stud 80 extends through opening 82 in the bottom wall 22 of the well and the circular central portion 84 (see FIG. 5) of the slot 48 in the cam 30. A radially oriented hole is provided in the top of the stud 80, and a transverse pin 86 is mounted in the hole and serves as a cam follower on the annular cam face 42 in the cam 30.

The handle member 14 and locking device 16 are assembled on the cover 12 in the following manner. First, the handle member, composed of the cam 30, disc 26 and top plate 28, is preassembled in the manner described above. The locking device 16 is preassembled by placing the grommet 76 on the flange 74 and about the body 72 of the keeper 70. The stud 80 is embedded in the keeper 70 and the pin 86 is disposed in the opening at the top of the stud in the transverse position, extending radially from the stud. The assembled locking device including the keeper, grommet, stud, and pin is placed on a fiat support with the stud 88 extending upwardly, and the cover 12 is dropped onto the locking device with the gasket 76 abutting against the lower surface of the boss 78. Next, the handle 14 is placed in the well 18 of the cover 12 with the transverse slot 48 in the cam 30 aligned with the transverse pin 86 in the stud.

With the slot 48 aligned with the transverse pin 86, the handle will drop in place so that its lower wall 26 rests upon the upper surface of the bottom wall 22 of the well. However, the pin 86 will lie below the top of the stops 50 and 52 provided in the cam and therefore cannot without the following steps pass over the stops and into engagement with the cam surface 42. This is shown in FIG. 8.

In order for the pin 86 to pass over the stops 52, a load must be applied in a downwardly direction on the handle 14 which causes the boss 78 on the lower surface of the well of the cover to compress the grommet 76. When the grommet 76 is compressed, the handle assembly 14 moves downwardly about the stud 80, and the pin 86 moves into alignment with the beveled surfaces 54 on the stops 52. The assembler must then turn the handle in a clockwise direction While the grommet is compressed, which causes the ends of the pin 86 to ride up the beveled surfaces 54 to the top of the stops 52, and further clockwise rotation of the handle causes the ends of pin 86 to ride over the tops of the stops 52 and fall off their rear vertical sides 90 into the low seats 92 at the lower ends of the parts 44 and 46 of annular cam face 42.

It is evident in FIGS. 4 and 5 that the stops 52 lie below the upper edge 94 of the cylindrical body 40 of the cam and therefore the pin is allowed to ride over the upper surfaces of those stops without forcing the top plate 28 of the handle away from the disc 26. It should also be recognized that once the pin 86 crosses over the stops 52, it is captured between the stops 50 and 52 and will not reenter the slot 48 unless the gasket 76 is compressed again an amount sufficient to allow the pin to clear the stop 52.

After the locking device 16 is assembled in the manner described, it is evident that the grommet 76 may be expanded to a locking position by rotating the handle 14. This is accomplished by causing the pin 86 to ride up on the parts 44 and 46 of the annular cam 42 to the elevated seats 96. The seats 96 hold the ends of the pin 86 in the elevated position on the cam surfaces until the handle is actuated in a counterclockwise direction to cause the pins to unseat and ride down the cam face to the lower seats 92. As the pin rides up the face, the stud 80 is drawn upwardly to cause the grommet to be compressed against the lower surface of the boss 78 by the keeper. The expanded grommet as shown in FIG. 9 will bind upon the opening 100 in the upper wall 102 of the well 104 in the base 10 to secure the cover and base together. This action is identical to that shown in US. Patents Nos. 3,074,546 and 3,138,250, cited above.

From the foregoing description it will be recognized that several of the parts of the case described may be reversed and the same results may be accomplished. That is, the cam 30 could be formed as an integral part of the keeper 70 as shown in Patent No. 3,138,250 rather than in the handle, and the pin 86 could extend transversely from the bottom of the stud 80 which in turn is secured permanently to the handle. By providing a slot 48 in the upper surface of the keeper which serves as the upper surface of the cam, the locking device and the handle could be assembled on the cover by preloading the grommet 76 in precisely the same manner as is described above.

Because numerous modifications may be made of this invention, without departing from its spirit, it is not intended that the breadth of this invention be limited to the single embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. A reel case comprising a base and a cover,

a handle rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the cover and including a gripper bar,

a cam member disposed in the gripper bar with its cam face directed upwardly and secured to the handle for rotation therewith,

a transverse opening extending upwardly through the cam member to the plane of the cam face,

high and low pin retaining positions provided in the cam face, said low pin retaining position being ad jacent the transverse opening and at the low point of the cam face,

a keeper and surrounding axially compressible, resilient grommet mounted on the bottom surface of the cover,

a stud secured to and extending upwardly from the keeper and a transverse pin carried by and extending outwardly from the stud,

means preventing the stud from rotating with respect to the cover causing the pin to move over the cam face when the handle is rotated,

said pin having a length shorter than the length of the transverse opening and lying on the cam face,

said low pin retaining position preventing the pin from sliding from the cam face into the opening when the cam is rotated wth respect to the stud, and said grommet resiliently urging the pin to the low position on the cam face,

and an opening in the base of the case for receiving the grommet and binding against the grommet when the grommet is expanded against the lower surface of the cover by rotation of the handle to move the pin to the high position on the cam face.

2. A reel case comprising a cover and a base,

an axially compressible, resilient grommet mounted on the lower surface of the cover,

a handle member rotatably mounted in the top surface of the cover,

a keeper member mounted in the lower surface of the cover, and supporting the grommet on said surface,

a cam provided within one of the members and nonrotatable with respect thereto and with its cam face directed away from the other of the members,

a transverse slot provided in the cam accessible through the one member,

high and low pin retaining positions provided in the cam face, said low pin retaining position being adjacent the transverse opening and at the low point of the cam face,

a stud secured to the other of the members and rotatable with respect to the cam when the handle is rotated on the cover and carrying a transverse pin shorter than the slot, said pin serving as a cam follower and lying on the cam face,

said low pin retaining position preventing the pin from sliding off the face and into the transverse slot when the stud and cam are rotated with respect to one another,

said grommet resiliently urging the pin and cam into firm contact with one another with the pin in the low position on the cam face,

and an opening in the base of the case for receiving the grommet and binding against the grommet when the grommet is expanded against the lower surface of the cover by rotation of the handle to move the pin to the high position on the cam.

3. A reel case as defined in claim 2 further characterized by said cam lying within the handle member.

4. A reel as defined in claim 2 further characterized by said cover member having a transverse gripper bar and said cam lying with the bar.

5. A reel case as defined in claim 1 further characterized by a well provided in the cover and housing the handle.

6. A reel case as defined in claim 5 further characterized by said handle including a bottom disc, a top plate within which is formed the gripper bar, and the cam, said parts being secured together as a unitary structure.

7. A reel case as defined in claim 6 further characterized by said cam face being divided into two parts which together define an annular cam surface,

said transverse opening lying between the ends of the cam face parts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM T. DIXSON, 111., Primary Examiner. 

